The present invention relates generally to hydration systems, and more particularly to a hydration system with an improved fluid delivery system.
Medical research has demonstrated the importance of maintaining adequate hydration while engaging in strenuous physical activities, such as bicycling or mountain climbing. In the not too distant past, participants in such activities carried their water in bottles or canteens from which they drank periodically. More recently, personal hydration systems have been developed which allow users to drink more or less continuously while engaged in sporting or recreational activities. These personal hydration systems typically have a bag-like fluid reservoir that is carried in a back- or waist-mounted pack. A long flexible tube is connected to the reservoir through an exit port at one end and terminates in a mouthpiece at the other end. The tube is long enough to allow the mouthpiece to be carried in the user""s mouth to enable the user to draw water from the reservoir at will. Examples of hydration systems and mouthpieces therefore are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,727,714, 5,060,833, 5,085,349, and 6,070,767, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Although personal hydration systems have proven to be a great advance over traditional water bottles, they do suffer from some drawbacks. One such drawback is inherent in the fact that the mouthpiece is designed to release fluid when external pressure is applied thereto, such as by a user biting down upon the mouthpiece or sucking on the mouthpiece. During normal operation of the hydration system, this bite-activated mouthpiece is a preferred design because it does not require the user""s hands to be used to dispense fluid. Instead, the user""s hands are able to remain directed to the user""s activity, such as biking, climbing, skiing, and the like. However, sometimes it is desirable to prevent the delivery of fluid from the mouthpiece, even if external forces are applied to the mouthpiece. Otherwise, inadvertent dispensing of fluid may occur if the hydration system or other objects are placed on the mouthpiece, if the mouthpiece is stepped or sat upon, or if the mouthpiece strikes objects. Because the mouthpiece remains ready to dispense fluid upon the application of external forces thereto, fluid may be inadvertently dispensed from the reservoir. This unintentional, or inadvertent, dispensing of fluid not only wastes the fluid in the reservoir, but also may damage objects upon which the fluid is dispensed.
The present invention provides a hydration system with a fluid reservoir and a draining tube extending from the reservoir and terminating at a dispensing end. The system typically includes a mouthpiece in fluid communication with the dispensing end of the drinking tube. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece is a bite-actuated mouthpiece and/or a self-sealing mouthpiece. The hydration system further includes a flow-restricting device that allows the user to selectively restrict the flow of fluid to the mouthpiece of the hydration system, thereby preventing unintentional dispensing of fluid contained within the hydration system""s fluid reservoir. In some embodiments, the flow-restricting device includes a body and a rotatable core.
Many other features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which preferred embodiments incorporating the principles of this invention are disclosed as illustrative examples only.